Trump's United States Under Trump's Second Term Feels Oddly Familiar to Observers from the East

When the standup comedian, an emerging comedic talent, takes her platform in New York, she is not just thinking about which jokes to deliver. Additionally, she carefully considers which topics to avoid. “I refrain from directly attacking the government,” she stated. And when she does, she makes certain it isn't recorded for social media. “I'd never publicly share material where I directly criticize the government … I believe this is a learned behavior acquired back home.”

Wang, 39, resided in the Chinese metropolis for nearly a decade, leaving in 2022. By 2025, she moved to the US. Upon arrival, she dove into a frenzy of “overindulging on democracy,” attending talks, protests, and delving into New York’s public library.

But in the year since the president returned to office for the second time, there's been a “palpable change” in the atmosphere, she notes. “Back home, I understood the boundaries, whereas here I find myself on unstable ground.”

Wang’s fears reflect an emerging political reality in America which numerous individuals from China, or those who have lived in the country, perceive as disturbingly similar. Enemies are ostracised. The president demands total allegiance. Reporters face scrutiny. Establishments come under fire.

The president has not been shy about his admiration for Xi Jinping, the nation's strongman leader. He's called him as a “great guy”. When they reached a brief ceasefire in the trade war on Thursday, the camaraderie between the two leaders of nations with vastly different political systems became clear. Following years of hope in the US that closer ties with China may help the rising power to liberalise, in the current administration, it seems that the US is being pulled in China's path, instead of vice versa.

“The United States is undergoing an era of cultural revolution,” said Zhang Qianfan, a professor at a top Chinese university. “The top leader, Trump, is attempting to mobilise the grassroots to marginalize or weaken established figures … reminiscent of events in China decades past.”

Since the administration initiated what's termed a government streamlining body, or the agency, on federal institutions at the start in office, many in China see American governance through the lens of China's historical period. Whether it is the mobilisation of young people to execute presidential directives, or cleansing organizations of those deemed opposition, the president from a Chinese viewpoint has brought Mao-style chaos to America, albeit without the same levels of force.

However since the upheaval of the early months of the new administration has calmed, an unfamiliar, different kind of political atmosphere has emerged in the country, which variously seems familiar to numerous Chinese people.

‘The Beacon Is Less Bright’

The deepest parallel between the US today and the East is the crackdown on free speech.

Deng Haiyan, now a Chinese Communist party dissenter, ended up in the eye of a storm this year, similar to what he’d only previously experienced in China. Deng resided in the US since 2019, after escaping the country because of pressure from officials.

In September, after the death of a public figure, he posted that Kirk was “despicable”. Similar to others nationwide – who were fired for expressing criticism regarding him – Deng faced significant backlash. His family was doxed and he was accused of espionage attempting to create division.

“That event surprised me deeply. I never imagined that something like this would occur in America – something that typically happens in a repressive state,” Deng said.

His pile on came from online peers, instead of the state, but that kind of social surveillance also has similarities with China.

“In terms of targeting dissenters and starting to surveil public speech about issues deemed controversial … It's appearing in the US,” noted Maria Repnikova, a scholar at Georgia State University. “That’s something that you see in the East now as too,” she said, stating that concerns are rising in America of students reporting on teachers, a form of surveillance promoted by the CCP.

Zhang, the Peking University law professor, explained that progressive thinkers such as him used to look to America for ideals, in part because public debate on internal affairs in the country is dangerous. But now, “America isn't some kind of god for progressive Chinese. The US's reputation has worsened across the board.”

“We used to see America as the symbol of democratic governance, but after Trump took power, this lighthouse appears dimmer”.

Progressive Chinese, who are often, behind closed doors, critical of the nation's governance, now perceive it more acceptable than the US's, he stated. “It’s sort of painful to accept this reality … but after the pandemic, authorities appears to be pursuing the right thing in environmental protection and developing electric cars and investing in hi-tech,” Zhang said, while “Western nations, exemplified by the United States, seems to be declining.”

The Trump administration’s purchase of shares in American firms has also drawn comparisons with China, where the distinction between government and business is often blurred.

On Monday, authorities announced it would become an investor in a startup focused on mineral refinement, after taking comparable shares in other companies it considers essential for the country's safety. The deals have left some investors nervous that the US is embarking on a fresh phase of government meddling in private industry.

There are still significant distinctions between the US under Trump and China. Last month, several news organisations including the Guardian refused to sign to a Pentagon policy that demanded reporting solely on approved information. US courts have blocked or overturned many of presidential measures, an action that would be impossible in China’s party-dominated judiciary.

Isaac Stone Fish, who established of Strategy Risks, specializing in China, said: “America might face the worst crisis of all time, far more severe than it is now, and it will still be freer, open, and liberal than the East under its leader.”

The professor notes that although numerous scholars in China were shocked to see US universities capitulate to official requests regarding diversity and inclusion practices and open discourse on university grounds, in China, leading institutions are all state-owned by default. Administrators, which are appointed by the state, “cannot refuse. They can’t afford to be disobedient.”

Nevertheless, Americans are beginning to adopt measures that were once confined to more authoritarian countries. One professor at a US university who was previously outspoken on US-China issues refused to speak for this piece. He stated: “The truth is, I am scared of suppression in the US: I actually feel less afraid criticizing China's leader these days than say anything bad